Fears Over CS9 'Traffic Havoc' In Chiswick Back Streets

Residents say rat runs and congestion will result from new design

Duke Road already struggles with existing volume of traffic. Picture: Google Streetview

There has been an outcry from residents in some residential Chiswick streets following the publication of revised designs for the Cycle Superhighway 9. They claim the proposals will lead to increased rat-running and traffic congestion in normally quiet residential roads.

Under the new design, the existing pavement on Dukes Avenue outside Our Lady of Grace and St Edward Church is to be retained. The cycle track in this section is to be accommodated by removing the right turn lane from Chiswick High Road into Dukes Avenue. This solution has been described as 'grotesque' by Cllr Sam Hearn leader of the Conservative opposition on Hounslow Council.

Right turns out of Duke Road will also be forbidden except for cyclists. It is believed by many local residents that this will require motorists to take circuitous routes through local residential streets which previous have seen low levels of traffic.

The focus for most of the congestion is likely to be streets in the Glebe Estate. Traffic wishing to go east on Chiswick High Road which would have previously turned right on Duke Road or Dukes Avenue will now will have to use Annandale Road.

The Glebe Estate Residents’ Association (GERA) said it is deeply concerned about the revised plans. In a statement it says, "The new proposals do nothing to address the restrictions on entering and leaving the Estate and its surrounding area that were inherent in the original design – in fact they make them worse."

TfL had previously proposed to reduce Annandale Road from two lanes to one at its junction with Chiswick High Road. They are now proposing to keep two lanes on exit at this junction to facilitate traffic that may be redirected from Duke Road. However, the current phasing of the lights at this junction only allows for two or at most three cars through, which could lead to long tailbacks from extra traffic forced to use the new route to the High Road.

The Glebe Estate Residents' Association (GERA) said "The September 2017 scheme proposed making Duke's Avenue one way southbound and Duke Road one way northbound. This will force traffic entering the Estate from the west through the narrow service lane of Bourne Place where it will be mixed with lorries, vans and cars traveling north from the A4 along Duke's Avenue which will be forced through Bourne Place to reach Chiswick High Road. This increase of traffic levels here will lead to considerable congestion and back up of traffic into Duke's Avenue and the High Road junction.The new proposals make two further changes to these arrangements.

Possible routes to be taken by traffic south of Chiswick High Road

"Traffic will be unable to turn right out of Duke Road. Thus all traffic from the Estate along with all traffic from Duke's Avenue and the A4 wishing to travel east along the High Road will have to travel along the convoluted route of Duke Road, Glebe Street, Devonshire Road, Ingress Street and Annandale Road to get to Chiswick High Road. This will be deeply damaging to the narrow and quite residential streets of the Estate, severely damaging to the environment and will disturb a way of life that has existed for nearly 150 years."

They added, "GERA will be making strong representations to TfL on its plans. It will be repeating its own recommendations made on the original proposals for an additional set of traffic lights at the High Road/Duke Road/Fisher Lane junction which would remove the need for these damaging changes. Secondly, it will make new suggestions which are being developed to help the situation for local residents and enable the community to live with this new Cycle Highway with less disruption than might otherwise be the case."

There are also concerns that roads between the Glebe Estate and Sutton Court Road will also suffer from increased rat-running. With no right turn available into Dukes Avenue from Chiswick High Road it is feared that vehicles will use roads off Sutton Court Road as a alternative. This could lead to more traffic on Alwyn Road, Hadley Gardens and Wavendon Avenue.

Leader of the nine Chiswick councillors, Sam Hearn issued a statement responding to the new design. "Chiswick's Conservative Councillors are extremely disappointed with TfL's response to its consultation on the proposed Cycle Superhighway 9. It is nearly a year since the original consultation ended and we had hoped that TfL staff were taking time to address the project's considerable number of flaws that we and many others had pointed out to them.

"We will be responding to the new TfL consultations but in addition we will be asking Hounslow Council to support our original objections that TfL has largely ignored. In addition TfL's solution to the problem that the original plan would have caused to the Catholic Church is grotesque. Minority interests have been quite rightly taken into account but at the expense of every other road user apart from cyclists."

CS9 Revised Route Between Duke Road and Dukes Avenue. Larger version

The change in design has led to a lively discussion on our forum.

One poster commented, "virtually every resident of the roads between Sutton Court Road and Annandale Road are going to be very firmly against the new design."

Another said, "If there is a jam on the A4 and traffic starts rat-running through Duke's Avenue, it will be utter chaos if the only exit to the High Road is via Duke Road. The queues will be monumental."

However, there are some who favour the new scheme, with one commenting, "Regardless of the route, the current proposal is a bit better than doing nothing."

The consultation on the revised designs for two sections of the route is now open and will run until 26 February. Responses can be submitted online at tfl.gov.uk/kew-duke, by post or by e-mail.

February 5, 2019